Tag Archives: sewing

Hi! For those of you who have followed me (and I thank you kindly!) I want you to know that I have been in a dilemma of where to take my blog. For those of you who don’t know me, I started Alaska Locker Hooking in 1999 with locker hooking and in 2005 I got into crocheting with fabric and making rugs and crocheted felted wool bowls. I started my Etsy Shopwhere I still sell my locker hooking and crochet epatterns. And somewhere in there, I was also making my “Alaskan Stuffies”! I still crochet and felt bowls and sell them every year at the Arts & Crafts Emporium Holiday Show, at a booth a that I share with my artist husband!

As you follow my posts, you will see that in the summer of 2014, I fell in love with Zentangle® Art and became a CZT (Certified Zentangle® Teacher), November 2014 and I have been teaching Zentangle® classes at Blaines Art Supplyever since. I have decided to continue this blog but changed the the name to: “Donna Jacobson, CZT Blog”. It will include everything I do!

Hi! I’ve started a series of wall hangings, canvas, and etc. (which means the possibilities are endless!) featuring, “Alaskan themed landscapes”. I can’t paint like Kurt Jacobson (Jake, my talented husband), but I love working with fabrics, yarns, beads, and mixed media. When I first moved to Alaska, I was told that I’d “better get a hobby” because the long winters will drive you CrAzY! All my life I’ve been into arts & crafts but to finally have an excuse to “get serious” about it, well it was just perfect! PERFECT! So…….. I took a quilting class and got a new start in my art, new marriage, new happiness in Alaska! Back then I really enjoyed making small wall hangings and selling them, until I got totally lost in my locker hooking with fabric…………and well, the rest is history!

I will be taking a “Painting on Silk Class” this Saturday and I hope to incorporate this into my Alaskan Landscapes. I tried my hand at painting a silk sun catcher at Francine Dufour Jones demo and I loved it, and so all these ideas have been running in my head and I can’t stop running! I’m pretty excited!!

This is my first official quilted wall hanging in my “Alaskan Landscape Series”. It begins with water and fish, land with flowers and trees, to the Northern Lights sky.

Hi! Since I last talked to you, Jake and I were invited to a special meeting. There were about 10 of us and the owner of Artic Rose Gallery and the Firefly Co-op presented afantastic idea to us. She wants to blend the two stores into one large co-op store and call it “Arctic Rose Gallery & Art Center”. It will be a beautiful professional art gallery for talented local artists (like Jake) as well as FIBER ART (me!), pottery, jewelry, “Mush Girls” t-shirts, beading, photography, etc., AND will feature the art and a museum by Jon Van Zyle (THE most famous Alaskan Artist who also completed The Iditarod Sled Dog Race two times!). He is the “official artist” for the yearly Iditarod Posters! What an honor! Arctic Rose Gallery & Art Center will offer art, events, classes, and be involved with the community.

My first reaction to the idea of a co-op was pure JOY, but suddenly my mind went back to those horrible days I spent after I joined a co-op years ago. But the location, location, location got me really excited because it will be in this huge building on 5th Ave, downtown Anchorage, across from the 5th Ave Mall! WOW! In the heart of the city where tourists love to hang out 🙂 And maybe I would get to work in the store…….I loved that part of it. We knew pretty much everyone at the meeting and all are trusted and well known people. It is the “PEOPLE” of a co-op who can make it or break it (speaking from personal experience). So I swallowed my bad memories and kept on listening.

Now Jake (Kurt Jacobson) has never had his “own store” where he can hang his choice of art. He has been in art galleries. An art gallery “co-op” is different. I thought it would be perfect for him and I could be involved in a small way too. So we both said, “let’s do it!”………and that’s what I’ve been doing! Our NEW ADVENTURE begins! We open May 16 after we paint and totally remodel the inside.

Hi! For those who haven’t met “Ivars”, here is a photo of him. He has long arms you can tie in front that lay on his tummy. He looks just like I do when I watch football with Jake.

Jake's Alaskan Stuffie

Jake posted some photos of my Alaskan Stuffies on facebook and WOW they just took off! A very cool store called the Artic Rose Gallery, Anchorage, Alaska, saw the photos and bought 10 stuffies! Awesome!! They were having a “First Friday” that week and I got them there just in time. Here is a photo of some of them.

Alaskan Stuffies at Artic Rose Gallery

And then our dear friend, Rene, who we saw on New Years Eve, bought 12 Alaskan Stuffies for her store, Blaines Art Supply, Anchorage, Alaska! What a surprise! But I didn’t have any left and I was leaving for 1-1/2 weeks to visit Joseph! So being the sweet person that she is, she said no worries I could make them when I got back. So needless to say when I got back from my trip I had to make 12 in one week! I worked literally day and night!! Blaine’s was having a “Last Friday” of the month and I got them there in the nick of time. I stayed for the party and had so much fun watching people smile and laugh at my stuffies. Such silly little critters that bring so much joy!!

Alaskan Stuffies at Blaines Art Supply

Yes, I look pretty tired!!

“First Fridays” and “Last Fridays” in Anchorage are the first or last fridays of every month when the shops & gallerys open their doors that evening and display featured art and artists. People hop from place to place and check out the art and feast on wonderful food! It is very fun! Jake has been featured numerous times and his paintings will be featured again at Stephan’s Fine Art Gallery, the first friday of April 2011.

Like this:

Hi! It’s been a long time since the last! I have been busy crocheting, as I had two big Holiday Shows in November. I made lots of matching scarflette & hat sets and big Christmas stockings! And I made a whole lot of locker hooking books too! I did real well this year at the shows!

I’ve been making Alaskan Stuffies, which are soft, cute, colorful, crazy stuffed creatures. They make you smile and laugh and are fun having around! They are about the size of a small pillow. Alaskan Stuffies have a pocket for wishes and treasures and they all have a heart. And each one has a “Made In Alaska” tag I sew on their little bottoms, so you know for sure they are handmade in Alaska, by an Alaskan! You have to qualify for a permit in order to use the tags.

Alaskan Stuffies

It all started when my daughter asked me to make a stuffie for Joseph, my new grandbaby, and they just kept coming! That was even before he was born and I had no idea what she was talking about! I make each one freehand and they are machine washable and safe for all ages! Adults love them too and some collect them. A friend bought a pretty stuffie as she enjoys painting dolls, along with lots of other cool subjects. I can’t wait to see her painting! I made several for Joseph for Christmas gifts and got them off on time (which is hard for me!). Jake loves them too and for Christmas he asked for his own Seahawks stuffie and so “Ivars” was born……that’s what he named him, after Ivars Seafood in Seattle (absolutely the best!). He wanted one so he can yell at it (with it?) during the games! Jake has already scared the dog away but now he won’t be alone!